1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a connecting structure for a metallic shielding member which shields electric noises is and ensures good contact between a male metallic shielding member and a female metallic shielding member.
2. Description of the Prior Art
FIGS. 9 to 11 show a conventional shielded connector as proposed in the Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 7-245153.
A female side connector 19 shown in FIG. 9 comprises a female connector housing 17 made of synthetic resin, a female side metallic shielding member 3 and a male terminal 25. The female connector housing 17 has a cylindrical inner housing 27 at an inside of an outer housing 26 through a coupling portion 28. An annular shield inserting gap 29 is formed between the outer housing 26 and the inner housing 27, an inserting hole 30 toward a contacting elongation 4 in the leading edge direction of the metallic shielding member 3 is formed at the coupling portion 28.
The metallic shielding member 3 is a cylindrical form, and the contacting elongation 4 divided four-part is provided at the leading edge of the cylindrical portion 31. Each of the contacting elongations 4 is adjacent to each other through a wide slit 15. An engaging piece 33 toward a connecting recess 32 of the inner housing 27 is formed at the inside of the contacting elongation 4. A bottom end 15a of the slit 15 comes into contact with a rear end of the coupling portion 28.
A male terminal 25 is arranged within the metallic shielding member 3, and the male terminal 25 is connected to a shielded electric wire 34. A base 35 of the metallic shielding member 3 is connected to a shield conductor 36 of the shielded electric wire 34.
Moreover, a male side connector 37 shown in FIG. 10 is composed of a male connector housing 12, male side metallic shielding member 38 and a female terminal 39, according to an engagement between both connectors 19 and 37, the male side metallic shielding member 38 is inserted into the female side metallic shielding member 31 at the same time that a male terminal 25 and a female terminal 39 are connected to each other.
The male connector housing 12 has an annular shield insertion gap 20 between an outer housing 13 and an inner housing 14 the same as above description. The male side metallic shielding member 38 has a contacting elongation for contacting 42 divided into four part by a slit 41 at the leading edge of a cylindrical part 40. The contacting elongation 42 projects forward from the insertion hole 22 of the coupling portion 21 between the inner housing 14 and the outer housing 13 through the shield insertion gap 20. An engaging piece 43 on the inside of the cylindrical portion 40 engages with a connecting groove 16 of the inner housing 14 at the same time of the above projection of the contacting elongation 42.
FIG. 11 shows a connecting condition of both of metallic shielding members 3, 38. Four pieces of the contacting elongations 4, 42 of each of metallic shielding members 3, 38 come into contact with each other with made overlapping alternately on the other side slits 41, 15.
However, in the above conventional connecting structure of the metallic shielding member, at the beginning of connecting both of the contacting elongation 4, 42 are coming into closely contact with each other, there are some apprehensions that it becomes susceptible to be generated bad contact since a contacting pressure between both contacting elongations 4, 42 get weak with time in that the contacting elongations 4, 42 wear away according to vibration of the vehicle and so force or the male side contacting elongation 4 is forced to deform with opened outward.